--- product_id: 1187812 title: "Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids" price: "95.43 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1187812-changing-the-game-the-parents-guide-to-raising-happy-high store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids **Price:** 95.43 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids - **How much does it cost?** 95.43 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1187812-changing-the-game-the-parents-guide-to-raising-happy-high) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Conventional wisdom holds that youth sports are a positive experience for our children. Unfortunately, 70% of kids drop out of organized athletics by the age of 13. Most of these children quit because our youth sports culture has taken the ‘play’ out of ‘play ball.’ A shift in values, the rise of expensive youth sports models, and the myth of abundant athletic scholarships has led parents and coaches to focus on wins instead of enjoyment, and trophies at the expense of development. As a result, every day increasing numbers of children quit playing sports that are no longer enjoyable. Conventional wisdom is wrong. In Changing the Game , John O’Sullivan draws upon three decades of high level playing and coaching experience to take us behind the scenes of competitive youth sports, and demonstrates how they have changed from being a fun pastime to an ultra competitive, adult centered enterprise that is failing our children. He then teaches parents that the secret to raising happy, high performing children begins by helping them attain a positive mindset, and an enjoyable youth sports environment. By following seven actionable principles of high performance, parents can give their children a competitive edge, while at the same time making youth sports a positive experience for their family, their community, and their country. “The romance is gone, the fun has disappeared, and children no longer simply ‘play’ sports,” says O’Sullivan. Changing the Game is a call to action to reverse this trend. It will change how you think about youth sports. It will teach you the secrets of high performance. It will help your children to perform better. And it will put the “play” back in “play ball” for all of our young athletes. Are you ready to take action? Are you ready to change the game? Review: READ IT!! - EVERY parent of a child even thinking about sports needs to read this book. Our swim team sent this out as a resource and recommended parents read this when joining. It is filled with real world experience and lots of science to back up the principles that do not come so naturally to us as competitive sports parents. I felt motivated, encouraged and a bit convicted (in a healthy way) to change my behaviors as a parent and put my child in the most healthy sports environment I can to build a love for sports to last a lifetime! Review: Great book - It's time we leave the sports to the kids and stay out of their way. - My oldest son plays football, basketball and baseball, while my younger son is almost old enough to follow his brother down the road of youth sports. I wouldn't have purchased this book unless I was troubled by what I've experienced, both as the father of an athlete, a former athlete, and a youth basketball coach myself. This book should be required reading for all coaches and parents of young athletes, regardless of their involvement level. The truth is that adults are ruining sports for the kids. I find myself way too invested in my son's sports life, and I'm a very mild sports dad by most comparisons. I don't yell or make his athletics the center of our relationship, but I knew I was doing something wrong when my son really started to push back on letting me help him at home, even though I'm his coach. After reading this I have a much different perspective and so does my son. I'll give you one example of something I learned from this book: I stopped watching his practices. Yes, I'm there, but I don't sit and watch him anymore. I usually take a book and sit in the car or find something to do at the park. When I used to watch him, he was quiet and reserved on the practice field, even though I know he's a good leader on game day. I recently snuck up on a practice and watched for a good 30 minutes during baseball season. I was amazed to hear my son was such a vocal team leader. I'd never even seen that side of him before. He was telling the other fielders to shift, encouraging his teammates, etc. I was blown away. All this time I've treated practice like something that demands my full attention, and I was holding him back from being a leader. Needless to say, it re-enforced the main theme of the book. - Let your kids control their own sports lives, and you'll see them unlock their full potential, all while having fun and getting better. So coaches and parents, the time has come when we have to realize that we've gone too far. We've stolen youth sports from the youth. We just need to be there to make sure they're not hungry and not injured. We just need to be their fan base, not their agents. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #72,845 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Hockey Coaching #17 in Soccer Coaching (Books) #24 in Football Coaching (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 374 Reviews | ## Images ![Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/818U0JTHKiL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READ IT!! *by E***H on June 8, 2025* EVERY parent of a child even thinking about sports needs to read this book. Our swim team sent this out as a resource and recommended parents read this when joining. It is filled with real world experience and lots of science to back up the principles that do not come so naturally to us as competitive sports parents. I felt motivated, encouraged and a bit convicted (in a healthy way) to change my behaviors as a parent and put my child in the most healthy sports environment I can to build a love for sports to last a lifetime! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book - It's time we leave the sports to the kids and stay out of their way. *by A***R on June 7, 2016* My oldest son plays football, basketball and baseball, while my younger son is almost old enough to follow his brother down the road of youth sports. I wouldn't have purchased this book unless I was troubled by what I've experienced, both as the father of an athlete, a former athlete, and a youth basketball coach myself. This book should be required reading for all coaches and parents of young athletes, regardless of their involvement level. The truth is that adults are ruining sports for the kids. I find myself way too invested in my son's sports life, and I'm a very mild sports dad by most comparisons. I don't yell or make his athletics the center of our relationship, but I knew I was doing something wrong when my son really started to push back on letting me help him at home, even though I'm his coach. After reading this I have a much different perspective and so does my son. I'll give you one example of something I learned from this book: I stopped watching his practices. Yes, I'm there, but I don't sit and watch him anymore. I usually take a book and sit in the car or find something to do at the park. When I used to watch him, he was quiet and reserved on the practice field, even though I know he's a good leader on game day. I recently snuck up on a practice and watched for a good 30 minutes during baseball season. I was amazed to hear my son was such a vocal team leader. I'd never even seen that side of him before. He was telling the other fielders to shift, encouraging his teammates, etc. I was blown away. All this time I've treated practice like something that demands my full attention, and I was holding him back from being a leader. Needless to say, it re-enforced the main theme of the book. - Let your kids control their own sports lives, and you'll see them unlock their full potential, all while having fun and getting better. So coaches and parents, the time has come when we have to realize that we've gone too far. We've stolen youth sports from the youth. We just need to be there to make sure they're not hungry and not injured. We just need to be their fan base, not their agents. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good Book on Important Topic *by C***A on March 9, 2014* John O'Sullivan does a good job bringing this important topic to light. I highly recommend it if you have young children or grandchildren. It puts youth sport in to a healthy perspective. ## Frequently Bought Together - Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids - Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1187812-changing-the-game-the-parents-guide-to-raising-happy-high](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/1187812-changing-the-game-the-parents-guide-to-raising-happy-high) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-08-10*